Getting 'Licked' wasn't too bad

Published: Wednesday, August 13, 2014 at 4:38 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, August 13, 2014 at 4:38 p.m.

Ever heard of Lizard Lick Towing? I was one of the few clueless individuals left in Davidson County who didn't until last week's National Night Out celebration.

I had spent most of the day staring out of my office window and wondering when that huge neon green and black monstrosity parked in the city lot was going to move along. The "Lick" mobile obstructed my view for a large majority of that Tuesday, and I had no idea why a towing company wanted to participate in the National Night Out event anyway.

When it came time to set up, the interns and I schlepped our goods up the street from our office. After several trips, I returned to our spot and found our young people struggling to erect the tent. As the adult in the crew, I had a logical answer: "Let's just follow the directions." But we quickly determined that they weren't exactly clear. Our interns kept hoisting the bars without success. Time and time again our tent slid to the ground.

After several failed attempts, a wiry member from the Lizard Lick Towing crew came over and offered his help. "These things can be tricky," he assured us as he effortlessly raised the tent. I extended my hand as a gesture to say "thank you." I expected a firm shake, but I quickly pulled my hand back as he made a motion with his lips. Was he trying to lick my hand? I was taken aback by the stranger in the bright green T-shirt.

When he turned to walk back to his truck, two women showed up and asked for his autograph. He pretended to kiss them, too. I looked at the interns and looked back. "Who is that wild man?" And that was the moment I learned he was the crazy cousin "Johnny" from "Lizard Lick Towing." The show airs on TruTV and is about a family towing business in an unincorporated town just outside of Raleigh.

Some find it hard to believe that after living in the Raleigh-Durham area of the state, I had never heard of the show or their small town. But then again, I had never heard of TruTV.

After a quick Google search, I learned all about the family. I found one description of the show saying that it was filmed in the style of observational Cinéma vérité; French for truthful cinema. It is considered to be a form of documentary filmmaking, invented by Jean Rouch. I considered all of that to be fancy talk for what we commoners call "Reality TV."

Mayor pro tem Ronnie Shirley and his wife, Amy, arrived in star-like fashion. As they exited their truck, the crowd that had been gathering before 3 p.m. celebrated. "Hey, Ron and Amy," one little fella yelled and waved as if they were family. One of their adoring fans was standing next to me as police escorted them to their seats. "Have you ever seen the show?"

When I told her "no," she decided to give me a breakdown of who they were and how they operate their towing company. I don't watch reality television, but it sounded interesting enough for me to check out a few episodes. I learned that Ron's job was to locate and repossess property, while Amy deals with angry owners. The two started with a single truck in 1998, and they built the business throughout the years. It turns out this wasn't just another towing company: Their repo adventures have made them household names in America.

So in my reading I learned that Ron, an ordained minister, has a soft spot for people who have fallen on hard times. The couple prepares a barbecue meal each year for some of the people who have had their property repossessed by Lizard Lick Towing. From a distance they seemed like kind people, and after a few interviews, they are starting to seem like real and genuine folks.

The couple seems to be using their "stardom" to minister and feed the hungry. In one of his cameos on the TruTV website, Ronnie explained that his favorite thing about being famous is meeting children. "It's the look in their eyes when they see they have just met a famous person." At National Night Out, I had the opportunity to see exactly what he was talking about.

It took watching a few episodes to understand why crazy cousin Johnny pretended to kiss every woman who posed for pictures. Apparently, Johnny was caught trying to kiss Amy in Season Three. Now he jokingly tries to portray that image and not blow his cover, but I think he's a little more of gentleman than the producers would lead us to believe.

Either way, I've met a few famous people and politicians in my lifetime. This was a pleasantly different experience. It was a pleasure to meet hard-working people willing to roll up their sleeves and give back to a small community. For as quoted on the charity portion of their website: "There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up." Somehow that John Andrew Holmes quote doesn't accurately describe their impact and how the crew makes people feel when they get "licked."

Antionette Kerr is a freelance writer. You may email her at antionettekerr@alumni.unc.edu.

<p>Ever heard of Lizard Lick Towing? I was one of the few clueless individuals left in Davidson County who didn't until last week's National Night Out celebration.</p><p>I had spent most of the day staring out of my office window and wondering when that huge neon green and black monstrosity parked in the city lot was going to move along. The "Lick" mobile obstructed my view for a large majority of that Tuesday, and I had no idea why a towing company wanted to participate in the National Night Out event anyway. </p><p>When it came time to set up, the interns and I schlepped our goods up the street from our office. After several trips, I returned to our spot and found our young people struggling to erect the tent. As the adult in the crew, I had a logical answer: "Let's just follow the directions." But we quickly determined that they weren't exactly clear. Our interns kept hoisting the bars without success. Time and time again our tent slid to the ground. </p><p>After several failed attempts, a wiry member from the Lizard Lick Towing crew came over and offered his help. "These things can be tricky," he assured us as he effortlessly raised the tent. I extended my hand as a gesture to say "thank you." I expected a firm shake, but I quickly pulled my hand back as he made a motion with his lips. Was he trying to lick my hand? I was taken aback by the stranger in the bright green T-shirt.</p><p>When he turned to walk back to his truck, two women showed up and asked for his autograph. He pretended to kiss them, too. I looked at the interns and looked back. "Who is that wild man?" And that was the moment I learned he was the crazy cousin "Johnny" from "Lizard Lick Towing." The show airs on TruTV and is about a family towing business in an unincorporated town just outside of Raleigh. </p><p>Some find it hard to believe that after living in the Raleigh-Durham area of the state, I had never heard of the show or their small town. But then again, I had never heard of TruTV.</p><p>After a quick Google search, I learned all about the family. I found one description of the show saying that it was filmed in the style of observational Cinéma vérité; French for truthful cinema. It is considered to be a form of documentary filmmaking, invented by Jean Rouch. I considered all of that to be fancy talk for what we commoners call "Reality TV." </p><p>Mayor pro tem Ronnie Shirley and his wife, Amy, arrived in star-like fashion. As they exited their truck, the crowd that had been gathering before 3 p.m. celebrated. "Hey, Ron and Amy," one little fella yelled and waved as if they were family. One of their adoring fans was standing next to me as police escorted them to their seats. "Have you ever seen the show?" </p><p>When I told her "no," she decided to give me a breakdown of who they were and how they operate their towing company. I don't watch reality television, but it sounded interesting enough for me to check out a few episodes. I learned that Ron's job was to locate and repossess property, while Amy deals with angry owners. The two started with a single truck in 1998, and they built the business throughout the years. It turns out this wasn't just another towing company: Their repo adventures have made them household names in America.</p><p>So in my reading I learned that Ron, an ordained minister, has a soft spot for people who have fallen on hard times. The couple prepares a barbecue meal each year for some of the people who have had their property repossessed by Lizard Lick Towing. From a distance they seemed like kind people, and after a few interviews, they are starting to seem like real and genuine folks.</p><p>The couple seems to be using their "stardom" to minister and feed the hungry. In one of his cameos on the TruTV website, Ronnie explained that his favorite thing about being famous is meeting children. "It's the look in their eyes when they see they have just met a famous person." At National Night Out, I had the opportunity to see exactly what he was talking about.</p><p>It took watching a few episodes to understand why crazy cousin Johnny pretended to kiss every woman who posed for pictures. Apparently, Johnny was caught trying to kiss Amy in Season Three. Now he jokingly tries to portray that image and not blow his cover, but I think he's a little more of gentleman than the producers would lead us to believe.</p><p>Either way, I've met a few famous people and politicians in my lifetime. This was a pleasantly different experience. It was a pleasure to meet hard-working people willing to roll up their sleeves and give back to a small community. For as quoted on the charity portion of their website: "There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up." Somehow that John Andrew Holmes quote doesn't accurately describe their impact and how the crew makes people feel when they get "licked."</p><p>Antionette Kerr is a freelance writer. You may email her at antionettekerr@alumni.unc.edu.</p>